You cannot please all of the people all of the time, is what politicians in Westminster will often tell you. But with an electorate of fewer than 50, Simon Young, the mayor elect of a tiny remnant of the British Empire some 1,350 miles from the nearest mainland, is hoping he can.
Young, a Yorkshireman aged 57, has just become the first non-native to be elected to the Pitcairn Islands’ most senior political office. The campaign did not involve much canvassing or leadership debates, with Young already knowing every single voter personally.
“We tried it once, launching a manifesto, maybe ten years ago,” said Young, who has lived on Pitcairn for 22 years. “But everyone knows you so well and there aren’t any secrets on
